Chief Residents 2022-2023
Neil Borad, MD
Neil was born and raised in Union, New Jersey. He attended the Academy for Information Technology, a science and technology magnet high school, where he graduated valedictorian of his class. He then went on to The College of New Jersey and graduated magna cum laude with two bachelor's degrees, one in biology and one in economics. He completed his medical education at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where he was elected president of his school’s Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and American Medical Association chapters. His dedicated service, empathy, and leadership led him to be inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society as well. As Neil progressed through his clinical years in medical school, he developed budding interests in applying new technology and innovation to improve the patient experience. He chose a career in anesthesiology because it not only fulfilled these interests and ideals, but also fueled his passion for critical thinking, problem solving and delivering compassionate care.
Nico was born and raised in San Diego. He lived in California his whole life prior to residency. Being the son of two healthcare professionals, Nico was exposed to the many different aspects of medicine early on in life, from going on medical mission trips with his family to shadowing in the operating room as an adolescent - and he was able to see the vast impact that medicine can have on people from all backgrounds. These early experiences piqued his interest in medicine and he graduated from UCLA with a pre-med degree in physiological sciences. He attended UC Irvine for medical school and decided to pursue a dual degree by obtaining an MBA with a focus on healthcare, broadening his perspective on medicine and helping to further develop his leadership, communication and organizational skills. Given his background in physiological sciences, Nico was naturally drawn to anesthesia. He strives to be a master of the craft and enjoys all aspects of the specialty, including critical thinking and real-time decision making, being part of a multidisciplinary operating room team, working with his hands, and most of all, the bond he makes with his patients during their brief interactions.
Julia was born in Italy and grew up in Northern Virginia. She attended high school in Washington, DC at the National Cathedral School and matriculated to the University of Virginia, where she graduated summa cum laude in neuroscience and chemistry. She then joined the NYU Medical Scientist Training Program, earning her MD, as well as a PhD in neuroscience and is one of Weill Cornell anesthesiology's prestigious Van Poznak Scholars.
A Message From the Chief Residents
Welcome to Weill Cornell Anesthesiology Residency Program!
Our program is a medium-sized four-year categorical training program located in the heart of Manhattan on the Upper East Side. From the transitional-style intern year with three months of anesthesia to the team leader responsibilities of the senior residents, this program provides the depth and breadth of opportunities and experience required to mold aspiring physicians into leading-edge anesthesiologists. We are nested within a department of enthusiastic and caring professionals who are dedicated to clinical excellency and resident education. Our graduates go on to complete fellowships at top-tier institutions and become faculty at major academic medical centers; a number of our graduates also leverage our extensive private practice network of alumni and join prestigious practices across the country.
The New York Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell campus is a Level I adult trauma center and a Level II pediatric trauma center. It boasts an internationally-renowned cardiothoracic surgery program that provides a robust surgical volume of complex heart failure, valvular, and aortic procedures. We are also one of the largest comprehensive burn centers in the country. The Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns houses vibrant obstetrical and neonatal services that encompass high-risk obstetrics, as well neonatal intensive care and neonatal surgery. Additionally, we have an extremely busy neurosurgical service that covers complex intracranial and spine pathologies, and we also have opportunities to care for a wide variety of critically ill patients including in the neonatal, pediatric, burn, neurosurgical, cardiothoracic, and oncologic ICUs.
The Weill Cornell anesthesiology residency program partners with two neighboring world-class clinical institutions, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital and Hospital for Special Surgery, to provide unique, specialized care opportunities at all levels of residency training – mixed medical-surgical intensive care and complex pediatric and thoracic anesthesia at the former, and advanced regional anesthesia at the latter.
As a complement to one-on-one teaching in the OR, the residency program has a structured multi-faceted educational curriculum. We have a combination of all-residency and class-specific didactics. Topics addressed in the former setting range from ROTEM to academic promotions to mock oral boards; there is also a weekly challenging case conference. The latter lecture series include board certification topics that build on each other and progress from basic to advanced and then master series. Furthermore, there are journal clubs, subspecialty conferences, and subspecialty teaching modules in most rotations, including neuroanesthesia, cardiac, regional/pain, and pediatrics. We boast a robust SIM curriculum that starts in the intern year as an introduction to anesthesia basics and continues through residency to include advanced airway, adult and pediatric emergencies, and crisis management. We have also introduced a weekly hands-on POCUS curriculum and offer opportunities for TEE practice and certification.
Finally, our residents have a number of exciting clinical and non-clinical opportunities available through our education and research partners. Clinical electives available to senior residents include a veterinary anesthesia elective at the Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) campus, global health electives in Rwanda and India, and additional trauma anesthesia experiences at Shock Trauma in Baltimore, MD. Many residents also participate in education initiatives, in quality improvement and environmental sustainability projects, and in clinical research, including through the Center for Perioperative Outcomes. Additionally, the program supports research-track residents through the Van Poznak Scholars Program; scholars have the opportunity to collaborate across multiple institutions, including Rockefeller University, Cornell Tech, and our clinical partners.
Most importantly, our resident body is diverse, fun, and supportive; we have individuals who have joined us from other professions – former military and professional athletes – and individuals with unique skills – fiction writers, classical and jazz musicians, public health advocates, scientists. Our Residency Support Council organizes a plethora of social events throughout the year, including happy hours, birthday celebrations, extra-mural softball, class-specific retreats, and other engaging activities that take advantage of our prime location in the heart of Manhattan, in the most exciting city in the world.
We are proud of our Weill Cornell Anesthesiology residency program and thrilled to welcome our new intern class, the Class of 2026!
Sincerely,
The 2022-2023 Weill Cornell Anesthesiology Chief Residents,
Neil Borad, MD
Nico Salvatierra, MD, MBA
Julia Scarpa, MD, PhD, MS